Abstention

an act or instance of .
withholding of a vote.
contemporary examples

a second diplomat told the daily beast that a chinese abstention may be “inevitable.”
punishing the mullahs michael adler february 9, 2010

a diplomat told the daily beast that a chinese abstention on the u.n. vote may be “inevitable.”
punishing the mullahs michael adler february 9, 2010

coined the ‘janopause’ by the daily mail, it requires just one month of abstention.
the ‘janopause’ detox debate nora zelevansky january 8, 2012

israel’s amb-ssador to germany, yakov hadas-handelsmann, expressed his surprise about germany’s u.n. abstention.
israel and germany’s not-so-special relationship kate connolly december 4, 2012

in this circ-mstance, an abstention was unfavorable to israel.
the vote and the holocaust edward s. goldstein november 29, 2012

historical examples

the week’s end found him a little further in debt, in spite of abstention.
despair’s last journey david christie murray

then your whole service has been abstention from positive treachery for your own ends?
the false chevalier william douw lighthall

doesn’t often take part in debate; showed to-night that abstention is not due to lack of debating faculty.
punch, or the london charivari, vol. 101, july 25, 1891 various

their abstention was not noticed by their fellows in the excitement of the time.
the duke’s motto justin huntly mccarthy

i attributed much of my freedom from the diseases to which others succ-mbed to abstention from water drinking.
andersonville, volume 2 john mcelroy

noun
a voluntary decision not to act; the act of refraining or abstaining
the act of withholding one’s vote
n.

1520s, from middle french abstention (old french astencion), from late latin abstentionem (nominative abstentio) “the act of retaining,” noun of action from past participle stem of abstinere (see abstain).